Amy Bos is the Director of State and Federal Affairs at NetChoice, a trade association that advocates for free enterprise and limited government regulation in the technology sector. She interviewed with the Federal Newswire to explain her views on important issues that impact the major tech companies in the association, including antitrust law, content moderation, data privacy, and artificial intelligence. NetChoice especially opposes regulatory overreach that may stifle innovation and economic growth.
Bos has spent nearly two decades in Washington shaping tech policy. Having started her career as a staff assistant for her hometown congressman, she worked her way up to legislative director and judiciary policy advisor for Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) before transitioning to roles at the Internet Association and now NetChoice.
In a second Trump administration, Bos anticipates significant shifts at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). "We had an election a couple weeks ago, and I'm sure when people headed to the ballot box, antitrust wasn't their primary concern,” she says, adding, “but we are going to hopefully see some changes.”
She characterizes FTC Chair Lina Khan’s tenure as a departure from past administrations, stating, "She has really gone after some of the biggest and [most] well-liked companies in the U.S." And she criticizes the FTC’s aggressive stance under Khan, arguing that Khan “lost a number of high-profile cases” in her suits against the industry, which Bos says indicates a lack of “respect” for the legal limits of the law.
Bos believes the FTC’s approach has been detrimental to innovation. This includes using the agency “to really threaten these companies," she says, adding that stringent FTC regulations discourage growth and acquisitions. "You're having people in the boardrooms notice this as well. Maybe they don't go after an acquisition that they normally would–that's really disconcerting."
Bos uses the FTC’s challenge of the JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger as an example. "Spirit Airlines is now declaring bankruptcy,” she says. Because the airlines could not merge, “you're seeing layoffs." She also references Amazon’s interference in the acquisition of iRobot, noting that "instead, they're laying off workers.” According to Bos, this is “exactly the opposite of what antitrust law is supposed to do."
Bos sees Trump’s return as an opportunity to restore a more traditional approach to antitrust policy. "Hopefully, we can go back to what has guided antitrust policy for the last 40-plus years– that is the consumer welfare standard."
Bos contrasts Trump’s and Biden’s approaches to artificial intelligence. "Biden issued an executive order on artificial intelligence, essentially requiring companies to get permission to innovate,” she says. “Then you have Trump’s approach, where he has pledged to repeal the Biden EO,” because “He wants this technology to thrive." She warns of China’s rapid advancement, emphasizing that "they’re months and not years behind us."
On a topic that has turned controversial in Congress, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Bos expresses concern over the same kind of government overreach. "What KOSA does is create a duty of care for companies to mitigate certain harms to kids, and the FTC will be in charge of enforcing this law and determining what is and is not harmful material,” she says. “That makes us worried."
In particular, Bos fears the bill could lead to excessive content moderation, identity verification requirements, and privacy risks. This could go as far as forcing adults to “prove” they are not minors, including by “showing a birth certificate, or handing over a Social Security number,” she says.
Bos is optimistic about the potential of the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "I don't think there's going to be any shortage of ways we can trim the fat out of Washington," she says. She also praises Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who has since resigned from DOGE, for leading the initiative. In her view, the FTC is an area ripe for budget cuts. "They have spent a lot of money losing in court and are asking Congress to increase their funding,” which she describes as “absurd."
She characterizes the FTC’s scrutiny of Musk’s businesses X, SpaceX and Tesla as “an unprecedented power grab." She credits House Republicans, particularly Chairman Jim Jordan, for scrutinizing the agency.
